Process of dividing diamonds.



UNITED-STATES PATENT Omen JOHN, wom YORLgN- p Y., F'HJCESS 0F 'DIVIDINGDIAMONDS@A Originalapplioation led May 3i, 1906, Serial o. 316,109.Divided and this application led August 13, 1906. Serial No. 330.434.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ST. JOHN Woon, of

i New York, in the county of New York and in AIO the State of New York,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Processes ofDividing Diamonds; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of arough diamond or crystal divided into slices or wases .Fig 2 is a-planview of a slice or was. Fig. 3 is a view ofthe first block removed fromthe slice or was. Fig. 4 is a view of the second division of the sliceor was. Fig. 5 is a view of the final division of the slice or was.

In the preparation of the diamond for sale to j ewelers or consumers itis not alwa s feasible tofinish up eachrough diamond lnto the largestgem it is os-sible to make therefrom, but because the emand for thelargest gems is comparatively small it is necessary to divide a largeproportion of rough diamonds to form a number of small diamonds fromeach rough diamond. In my application for patent filed May 3, 1906, forprocess of dividdescribed a process of dividing a rough diamond orcrystal so that the largest ,possible weight of smaller diamonds can bemade from it. Prior to my said process the division of the larger`crystals into several parts to `make smaller diamonds has beenaccomplished by cleaving or splitting the Arough diamond or crystal, andas suchaction can usually take place only in planes parallel to thefaces of the crystal it has l'prevented the division of crystals inplanes so disposed as to give shapes from which the largest possiblefinished diamonds .could b e made, and a very objectionable amountof-waste has resulted from the use of this method.A B the method whichis the subject of my sai prior application instead of using the wastefulmethod of cleaving or splitting I saw the body of the crystal through inany direction, and yI discovered that this could be done withouty inlthe leastA fracturing the diamond or otherwise injuring its. purity oraffecting its value. As Iwas thus able to divide the ycrystal in anydirection, I devised a method of dividing the crystal by which a maximumweight of smaller iinished diamonds could be .produced ent, is a specialapplication of the process of the aforesaid application to the divisionof .6 5 In practicing my present invention I first,

a slice or was of a peculiar shape.

divide the crystal into slices or wases, as illustrated in Fig. '.1. Theaverage slice or was has three sides to its larger face, and ordinarilythese sides are of equal length. With some crystals, however, a slice orwas is obtained of the shape illustrated in Fig. 2, in which there aretwo long sides c and b, connected by a short side c. In order to dividethe said slices into blocks from which Patented 13610.25, 190e. l

the finished diamonds are to be obtained, I

first saw into a slice from the side a or the side b near the point d,where the sides a and b meet, the saw cut e penetrating to about thelongitudinal center of the slice. I then make a saw cut f from theopposite side to meet saw cut e, and thus remove a block g from thepoint of the was. I then form a saw cut t through the longitudinalcenter of l the slice or was and divide it into two parts i and 7c, asillustratedin Figs. 3 and 4, which are each again divided by saw cutsthat are preferably substantially pe endicular either to the outer orinner ed es t ereof.

ivide the slices into B this method I bloc s which produces a much larer weight of finished diamonds than is possible by the old method ofcleaving, since by cleaving all of the divisions would have t0 be inplanes parallel to a face of the was.

I claim- 1. The process of dividing an elongated slice or was of a largediamond to form smaller diamonds, which consists in removing a blockfrom the point of the slice by di-l visions starting on opposite sidesof such point and meeting at an angle to Aeach other, separating-theremainder of the slice b a central longitudinal division, and divi 'ngthe two portions thus formed by transverse divisions. A

2. The process of dividing an elongated.

Aslice or "was of a larger diamond to form smaller diamon(ils,2f-Winchlconsists .in remov- ,In testimony-[that I claim Athe.foregoing I ing ablock from the point of the slice 4by two i 4have .hereunto set my hand.outs starting on opposite sdesf` such-,point l and meeting at an angleto each other7 di- 'ST' :JOHN WOOD' 5 viding the remainder of theslioe acentral -Wi-tnesses:

longitudinal saw out, and dividing the two FREDI WM.` WOLTERS,

portions thus formed transverse saw outs. l AL. M, CUTHBERT.

